ARCHIVE / BLEAK WEEK AHEAD THEN WE HAVE AN ELECTION

If it wasn't enough of a sad week ahead with all the JFK coverage, Discovery will feature
the Challenger disaster of 1986 tonight

BLEAK WEEK AHEAD THEN WE HAVE AN ELECTION

SAD TIMES RECALLED—The media will be pre-occupied with the 50^th anniversary of the JFK assassination, while cable TV also delves into the space shuttle Challenger disaster and if it isn’t bleak enough San Diegans will go to the polls to replace a deposed Mayor.  It’s an election many are saying isn’t necessary because Interim Mayor Todd Gloria is doing an excellent job filling in until the election process produces a new Mayor.

Remembering Space Shuttle Challenger— Seems a bit early to memorialize this tragic event, but I guess TV producers figured it would fit right in to Bleak Week.  Nevertheless, tune in Discovery Channel, Nov. 16 at 9 pm (http://bit.ly/HN7D8F) for a remarkable documentary space era film. Americans sat in stunned silence on the morning of Jan. 28, 1986, as Challenger exploded in the skies over Cape Canaveral.  The Challenger disaster remains riveting and this Discovery Channel film recreates the aftermath of the disaster and chronicles the efforts to uncover the true cause of the deadly explosion.

Don’t Endorse Me—Nov. 19 is election day in San Diego.  It’s a special election with the top two vote getters moving on to yet another special election to determine who will be the new Mayor of San Diego.  The three candidates to garner the most votes will be Nathan Fletcher, Kevin Faulconer and David Alvarez.  It is a foregone conclusion that who ever wins in North Park will go on to win the election.  It is a foregone conclusion a recommendation from the daily newspaper is a kiss of death for the endorsed candidate.  Prayer picked up in outer space: “Oh, please, please don’t have the big daily endorse me...?”  Static on the wireless didn’t allow me to ID the prayeree.

            If Nathan Fletcher wins is only because city and nation is craving moderate candidates. In San Diego switching from Republican to Democratic party as Fletcher did makes him our version of a moderate.

            If Faulconer wins it is because he convinced electorate that he’s a moderate.  If Faulconer loses it is because even at the low level local elections the public is holding all GOPers’ feet to the fire because of the recent government shut down.  It’s not city councilmember’s fault the national GOP is in turmoil, but this election will showcase just how well lower level, rank and file Republican candidates will fare now until the next round of national elections.

            If Alvarez wins it is because San Diego is bluer than anyone imagined and that’s the way it will be for a long time.  Plus, Todd Gloria’s huge success as a young Democrat interim Mayor can only help Alvarez. Thirty-somethings are willing to lead and they’re gaining traction because lots of folks are weary, real weary of the boomer generation’s version of political leadership.

JFK Coverage—Media will be awash^nd NBC plans NBC News, meanwhile, reported earlier that Today’s Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer will be in Dallas that week, with Guthrie talking to one of Kennedy’s Secret Service agents, and Lauer interviewing a woman whose photo has become an iconic part of that day, adding, “The morning of November 22, Brokaw will be joined on Today by former CBS News anchor Dan Rather, whose report that day is one of the most widely remembered.”

Dallas's city magazine joins in the JFK memorialization
frenzy with its November cover.

with coverage on 11-22.  On the 22

            Meanwhile, CBS will air its primetime special, As It Happened: John F. Kennedy 50 Years, which will include video from the CBS News archives from the day of the assassination, CBS News mentioned Cronkite’s moving report, and described the other footage thusly: “Viewers are in the moment with legendary anchor Walter Cronkite and journalism’s iconic reporters: Charles Collingwood, Harry Reasoner, Charles Kuralt and Mike Wallace.” CBS News also noted that throughout the week, its web site will stream the original CBS News broadcast coverage of the assassination in real time, and the four-day period following the shooting, adding, “Viewers will relive the extraordinary 1963 CBS News reports from New York, Dallas, Washington and around the world as Walter Cronkite, Eric Sevareid, Harry Reasoner, Charles Kuralt, Roger Mudd and others reported the tragedy..

Here’s what’s been aired to date: 

Past Coverage:

11-11—American Experience: “JFK” on PBS, a 3-day series

11-13—Nova: “JFK/Cold Case” on PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/cold-case-jfk.html